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Thursday 4 September 2014

300 UK PAs, corporates and event bookers were recently asked what mistakes they felt they had committed when choosing a venue in London and throughout the UK.

Interestingly 50% of those surveyed, who ran events that didn’t go to plan, made the mistake of assuming things would ‘just happen’ at a venue whilst over half (60%) admitted they didn’t focus enough time on the format of their event.

Nobody knows the venues better than our in house Venue Search London team so use their expertise.

Their venue search service is absolutely free If budget is a problem they will know the inside tricks to save costs at any venue. Here are our five top questions every event organiser should be asking when choosing a venue!

1. Deliveries and collections - Where and when is your material and equipment being delivered? 40% of those surveyed admitted they were not diligent enough when looking at a new venue.

2. AV and Maintenance - Is this available on site? And if so, who is your contact for the day. Always check if this is written into your events package or if it is an additional cost?

3. WiFi - How much bandwidth do you have access to on the day? Internet access should be at the top of your agenda. If your event gets busier than expected and a larger number of people are trying to connect to WiFi, you may face a problem.

4. Rehearse - Who does what on the day? A week before the event, set aside time to run over everything with your team. This will give you the chance to iron out any creases, liaise with the in-house team and ask more questions which may not have been discussed over emails or by phone.

5. Always read the small print - Do you know what you are signing? A staggering 57% surveyed revealed that they didn’t read the small print! Take time aside to read the small print and check cancellation terms and cost of extra carefully.

Running any type of event, whether it is a large conference or a Christmas party will never be without its fair share of drama but with today’s technology and a venue that is willing to be 100% transparent about its good and bad points, you can normally come up with a solution to most problems.

The key to avoiding obvious mistakes is to build rapport with your venue. 24% admitted they had organised events at venues they never visited ahead of their event. A site visit is always worth its weight in gold.